FABB Blog

South side of Greensboro station

I noticed bike racks at the new 'Greensboro' Silver Line station (used to be called 'Tysons Central 7') for the first time today so I took a few pictures. Also took a detour to check out what had been done at the 'Spring Hill' Station (used to be called 'Tysons West').

In summary, there are 10 inverted U racks on the north and south side of each station, with the exception of the south side of the 'Spring Hill' station . There were only 4 at that location. Its possible they plan to put in more. So current count looks like a max of 40 bikes at Greensboro and a max of 28 at Spring Hill.

North side of Spring Hill station

If anyone is interested, I also took some pictures of the sidewalks on either side of Route 7. Work is still on-going, but in general they are doing a decent job of widening the sidewalks on both sides. Unfortunately the sidewalks COMPLETELY stop as you walk east past the Greensboro Station. Any Silver Line rider that exits the Greensboro Station and needs to go east (to the other side of Rt 123) is out of luck. Despite the wide sidewalks the Rt 7 corridor is a VERY difficult place for pedestrians. Street crossings are poor, if present at all. But work is still underway, so hopefully some of these issues will be addressed.

Wider sidewalks along Route 7

On the PlanItMetro blog, system planners studied how people use each of the 35 stations where Metro operates parking lots or garages and where they come from. They found that people drive from as far as Baltimore, Annapolis and Manassas to use Metro's 9 terminal stations, which have lots of parking and are some of the system's busiest.

Meanwhile, 26 other stations serve "neighborhood parking" needs, attracting commuters who drive very short distances. Two-thirds of drivers at Forest Glen station come from within two miles, while 30% of drivers at Van Dorn Street, West Hyattsville and Fort Totten come from within one mile. These commuters could walk or bike instead, but many of these stations are located in a way that makes doing so hard, if not impossible.

Fort Totten is in the middle of a park, and while surrounding neighborhoods are fairly dense, there are very few street connections to them. West Hyattsville is surrounded by vacant lots. Van Dorn Street is hemmed in by rail yards, busy roads and the Beltway. Forest Glen actually has decent street connections, but people living south of the station have to cross the Beltway on a dark, dangerous pedestrian bridge.

As a result, people living near these stations feel like they have to drive there. This means more car traffic and more pollution, since cars produce the most emissions withinthe first few minutes of operation.

But poor pedestrian and bike access also restricts the capacity of a station to how many parking spaces it has. If those spaces are filled by the morning rush hour, that station is effectively closed to new riders until the evening. That might explain why stations like Forest Glen and West Hyattsville have some of the system's lowest ridership.

Reston bike routes from county bike map

It's been interesting watching the construction of the Wiehle Ave Metro station the past year or so. I often ride over the Toll Road bridge in the morning from my house located about a mile from the station. The trip takes less than 10 minutes. Most of Reston is located within two miles of the station, about a 15-20 minute bike ride.

Leading up to Bike to Work Day two years ago, I challenged our neighbors Del. Ken Plum and the Reston Association President Kathleen Driscoll to a commuter challenge from our neighborhood to the Reston Town Center.

I can remember waving at Ken as I passed him on the Wiehle Ave bridge; he was waiting at one of the traffic signals as I rode by on the trail. I beat Ken to the Town Center by a few minutes and we beat Kathleen, who took the connector bus, by about 20 minutes. For short trips bicycling is often faster than driving, especially when you consider the time to park and walk to your destination.

2-mile radius around Wiehle station

The Wiehle Avenue station is scheduled to begin service the end of this year. Biking to the station is one of the better options for getting there. In the massive new underground parking garage there will be 2,300 Metro parking spaces and 240 bike parking spaces in a secure bike room. Regular parking in the garage will likely be $4.75 or more per day. Cyclists can avoid that expense by paying a nominal fee for the bike parking.

What are the best bike routes to the station? The W&OD Trail is located less than one-quarter mile from the north station entrance. There is a multi-use trail that connects the W&OD Trail to the station entrance, although it needs to be repaved and widened. It also needs to be extended north to Baron Cameron. Unfortunately the shared bus/bike lanes that were recommended as part of the Reston Metro Access Group report (see chapter 3) are not being constructed on the western entrance to the station. Better bike facilities are needed in the immediate station vicinity to avoid conflicts between cyclists, pedestrians, buses, and cars.

From the south, the new bike lanes on Soapstone Dr and Lawyers Road will connect most cyclists living south of the Toll Rd and east of Reston Parkway. Those cyclists can use neighborhood streets or connecting trails to reach Lawyers or Soapstone and ride to Sunrise Valley Dr. The existing mutli-use trail along Sunrise Valley Dr will soon be upgraded. Bike lanes on Sunrise Valley Drive, recommended in the RMAG report, are a longer term travel option. Most Reston residents should be able to safely ride to the station. See the Fairfax County Bike Route map for details.

For some Metro passengers traveling to Reston, getting from the station to their destination will be a challenge. Cyclists could leave their bikes overnight in the bike parking room and retrieve them on their way to work in the morning.

Bike sharing is another possibility and is a great last-mile solution and could be implemented in Reston. The Capital Bikeshare system is very popular in DC and many people are using it as a supplement or alternative to public transit. There are also other, less costly systems like ViaCycle at George Mason University.

Bike sharing stations could be scattered around denser parts of Reston including the Village Centers, major employers, and the Town Center. Users of Capital Bikeshare pay an annual membership fee of $70. Any trips of 30 minutes or less are free. I'm a member and when I use the system I time my trips to ensure they take less than 30 minutes. Daily membership is available for $7. See the CaBi website for details.

While it's difficult for some people living here in the suburbs to consider using bicycles for transportation, there are a few of us who rely almost solely on bikes to get around. Before you say that it's not a viable solution, why not give it a try. I'm willing to ride with anyone who wants to know a safe route to the station. Contact me at chairman@fabb-bikes.org.

Or consider riding on Bike to Work Day on Friday, May 17.

In her March 28 Metro article, "A cloud over Metro's Silver Line," Kafia A. Hosh wrote the following: "When the four stations open in 2013, none will have parking . . . ."

That is correct only with respect to cars; all will have parking — bike parking. There will be space for several hundred bicycles, and more bike parking can easily be added, at a very small fraction of the cost of car parking, as was noted in the March 21 Metro article "Metro to lure bike-to-rail commuters."

Many residents around the region who live near Metro stations find that bicycling to the stations is quicker, less expensive and more convenient than driving to the station and parking. These short car trips also generate the most air pollution, since vehicles burn fuel less efficiently before properly warming up.

Hosh also asserted that Fairfax County "has outlined a bicycle path network . . ."

This is only partially correct. The county has developed a comprehensive bicycle master plan for Tysons Corner that includes recommendations for on- and off-road bicycle routes, bike parking and other end-of-trip facilities, and encouragement and education programs.

Many of these recommendations can be implemented before Metro arrives; we hope that the county hears the concerns of citizens and provides adequate funding and oversight to ensure cyclists can easily and safely access the new stations and other locations in Tysons Corner.

Bruce Wright, Reston
The writer is chairman of Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling.

Dear Fellow Bicyclist,

Next week there will be an important opportunity for you to support two bicycle resolutions that will be on the Board of Supervisors meeting agenda. Supervisor Andrea McGimsey, who has been a tireless advocate for better bicycle facilities in our county, is introducing the two items for consideration at the Dec. 7 Supervisors' meeting. The Public comment session occurs on the night before the meeting.

Action Item 7: Because federal funds directed specifically to bicycle and pedestrian projects will likely become available, the item directs the County Transportation staff to identify and prioritize a list of bicycle and pedestrian projects which can be made "shovel-ready." Jurisdictions who have a list of projects that can be initiated quickly will be more likely to receive these funds.

Action Item 8: This is a proposed plan for bike and pedestrian connectivity surrounding County metro stations. Access to the planned Loudoun metro stations on Routes 606 and 772 remains largely confined to vehicular access. Expanding bicycle and pedestrian facilities between and around metro stations will help decrease reliance on automobiles and further metro's benefits to the area along the Dulles corridor and beyond.

It is crucial that we have as many bicycle advocates as possible come to the public input session on Monday, Dec. 6, the night before the BOS meeting. The public session will be held at 7 p.m. in the Board Chamber, First Floor, at the County Government Building, 1 Harrison St., Leesburg. You can sign up to speak in advance by calling 703-771-5072 or 703-777-0200. Calls will be accepted until noon on Dec. 6.

Otherwise, you can sign up in the meeting room before the public session starts. Speakers are usually allowed only two to three minutes to comment. There will be no questions asked of you. So you see, your message need not be long--just express support for the bicycling items. If you wish, you can add your own personal comments about biking. It would be very impressive if we could have the room filled with bicyclists in their cycling jerseys.

We need to show the Board of Supervisors that bicycle accommodations and on-road bike facilities are important to us. Unless we actively support bicycling, the County may not approve these and other future bicycle plans.

Please forward this email to anyone else who may be interested. If you cannot come to speak on Dec. 6, please send comments to the entire Board of Supervisors via email at bos@loudoun.gov

Thanks for coming out to this important meeting.

(I'm sorry this is such short notice. The BOS agenda was just finalized)

Sincerely,

Pat Turner & Maria Nicklin
Co-Chairs, BikeLoudoun
www.bikeloudoun.org
"Advocating for Better Bicycling in Loudoun County"

Given the limited amount of parking for motorized vehicles at many of the Phase II stations, it's important that other options be made available to Metro customers for getting to the stations rather than driving or being driven. For people who live within a 1-3 mile radius of the stations
bicycling is a low-cost, efficient way to get there.

Covered, secure, conveniently located bicycle parking is needed at these stations. Bicycle parking at the existing Orange Line stations is already beyond capacity as evidenced by bicycles being parked along fences, posts or any fixed objects. It's unsightly and an inconvenience for bicyclists not to have adequate parking. The cost is minor compared to auto parking and the benefits are greater. Bicycle access to the bicycle parking locations is important and should be considered in all station designs. The parking should be located near the station entrance, not at a remote location.

"A detour route has been identified using existing trails in the Colvin Run Stream Valley, Lake Fairfax and W&OD parks. Signs and trail markers labeled 'Detour' will be posted along the new route, and a map will be available for download from the Park Authority Web site."

The work will be completed in September, and will remain in place for the duration of the closure.

Bridge Supporting Dulles Metrorail Extension To Be Built Above Section of W&OD Trail near Reston, Detours, Signs Will Alert Trail Users through Mid-2010

Users of the Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail near Reston will experience shifts and detours in a short section of the trail for the next nine months. The periodic shifts will be caused by construction of a bridge over the trail by the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project. Construction crews will build a bridge above the trail in the middle of the Dulles International Airport Access Highway between Wiehle Avenue and Hunter Mill Road. The bridge will carry the future Metrorail line over the W&OD Trail. The Airport Access Highway is the toll-free lanes that carry traffic to and from the Washington Dulles International Airport in the median of the east and west bound Dulles Toll Road lanes.

The work will start this month and is scheduled to end in mid-2010. The affected area is along the trail's mile marker 16 (see map). In addition, the trail will close temporarily some nights in late Spring 2010, when steel girders will be installed. Brief periodic closures also will be necessary throughout construction when equipment is moved into place. All users of the trail should watch for warning signs alerting shifts in the trail path, as well as equipment and materials in the adjacent slopes of the median.

If you have any construction-related emergencies, please call the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project Hotline at 877-585-6789. For other information, please visit our project website or call 703-572-0506.